Honore de Balzac

The Old Maid, and, the Cabinet of Antiquities Honore de Balzac

In 1815 Mlle. Rose Marie Victoire Cormon, the old maid, turns 42. Despite her financial security and social status, she has still not managed to find a suitable man to marry.




Mademoiselle Cormon is known to be socially awkward and seems oblivious to the usual signs that a man is interested in her. And still, at this age, she manages to attract the romantic interest of three very different men.




Who is the best option for Mademoiselle Cormon? Are these men interested in her or simply in her financial standing? And will Cormon even notice as they each compete for her attention?




A short and rapidly progressive romantic novel that will fascinate any reader. It is realistic in its portrayal of human intentions and the questions we ask ourselves when faced with the prospect of love and marriage.




Writer Honoré de Balzac is know as one of the founders of realism literature. He wrote this tale as one of the first in his compilation entitled La Presse.